Sparkling Watermelon (2023)

Well written coming of age, time travel, romance that is heartwarming

9.5/10 is my rating. This is 2023 South Korean Coming of Age, Time Travel, Fantasy romance.  It has 16, 59-73 minute episodes.

 

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

 
Synopsis



Han Eun Gyeol (Reyoun, Go Yoon-hwan) grew up in a household where the other family members, his dad, mom and older brother were all deaf and he acted as the interpreter and spokesperson for his entire family.  It was a large burden for a young person, so he found refuge in the company of a grandfather figure who taught him to pay guitar at a local music shop.  Growing up, he continues to pursue guitar but keeps it a secret as his father, Ha Yi Chan (Choi Hyun Wook) is determined his son become a doctor, or something else, to elevate the status of the family.  Just when Eun Gyeol’s secret is discovered by his father, and they are amid a huge falling out, Eun Gyeol is transported back in time to 1995. A magical music store appears, because it has musical instruments he goes in, sells one of his guitars, then he steps out back in time.  In the past, he encounters the younger version of his father, who is forming a band but is also very interested in a beautiful but icy cellist, Se Keyong (Seol In Ah) who is problematically not Eun Gyeol’s mother.  To get his mother, Cheong Ah (Shin Eun Soo) and father together Eun Gyeol he has to join his father’s band and make it successful.  Will he succeed in uniting his parents in this new past and can he return to his own timeline?

 

Review

I did not fully read the description before starting this series, so I was surprised it turned into a time travel show.  I thought the main element was just going to be a family where most of the members were deaf.  That would have been enough to write a compelling story, so when it switched to time travel, I was surprised.  The switch from a family centered drama to a time traveling drama, would have been okay, but I did not feel they did it well.  It was confusing a lot of times.  The switches back in forth in time were not very clear at times. But then it got really good. It had a bit of a rough start, but the latter half of the series was very good. There were a few, relatively minor, issues in terms of time travel concepts. I liked it a lot and I am not a huge fan of time travel. The romance was not completely central to the story, it was more focused on the family relationships. But there were two very heartwarming romances. I liked this a lot, would definitely rewatch it and recommend it to anyone that likes time travel, romance, stories about musicians, magical content, or are fans of any of the actors.

 

Spoilers

 

I am not a fan of time travel series.  I like things to happen in the order they occur.  Switching back and forth between timelines can be confusing and I felt like this story suffered a lot in that process.  For instance, when the younger version of the dad was first introduced, we were simultaneously following the main guy in the current time and I kept wondering who that character was and how they fit into the story.  We hadn’t yet been introduced to the time travel so I was not considering the possibility it could be a younger version of one of the characters.  After the big reveal on time travel, and I realized that was the younger version of the father, I had to mentally review what happened with that character.  There were times when, rather than just abruptly change the scene to something that transpired earlier, they could have had a character reflect back so it was clearer the events happened in the past.  Instead they just throw a scene in with past events and you wonder if that is present or past. 

 
I found it annoying how oblivious the main character was to the fact that the people, in the past version of themselves, would not know who he was.  I get it would be exciting to come across a young version of a parent, other relative, or close friend but you would have to temper that with the knowledge they haven’t lived the future yet.  If they were time travelers too, sure call someone “dad” or “ajumma” but if you call someone that, who you are a stranger to, they will think you are crazy.  And he didn’t just call them like that once, realize his error, and act like you would towards someone you just met, he continued to call them familiar titles. He persisted even when the person would say I don’t know you or why are you calling me that.   I’m like dude they don’t know who you are.  No wonder he is running from you, you seem crazy.

 
The main character, who is supposed to be super smart, not only didn’t realize people in the past wouldn’t know him, he was also really frustrating in getting practically any point across.  Like when he is trying to convince the younger version of his dad he can play guitar, he doesn’t say let me play guitar and show you.  So, they would be arguing about whether or not he is telling the truth about his musical abilities and there would be a guitar right there.  I am like grab the guitar, and do a riff, that would convince your “dad” way more than any verbal argument.  But they tease that through scene after scene until they finally have him playing and the dad hears him from a distance.  There was the same frustrating situation with the past version of his mom.  She is deaf, and the dad keeps misunderstanding her because he doesn’t know she is deaf, it has to be apparent to her that is going on yet she never grabs something and writes “I am deaf.” In both situations the situation could have been resolved quickly. And I get it is entertaining to have that carrot move as you are just about to grab it, but if you do that too much it quits being amusing and just becomes frustrating. And both were such smart people, it is not credible within each character that they would fail to think of something so obvious.   

A “hole” in the time travel concept was when one of the main female leads traveled back in time and people mistook her for her mother, she let them think she was her. The grand plan was, she wanted her mom not to fall in love with her dad but with someone else. She was suicidal and figured if her “mom” fell for someone else, then she would never be born. But, the problem with that was, people thought she was her mom, but she wasn’t really her mom. Her mom was studying abroad. They never explained how her getting someone else to fall in love with her would have any impact on her mom’s future. So that was an inconsistency, to me, with the theories around time travel.


#TwinklingWatermelon  #Ryeon  #GoYoonHwan  #JungHeyonJun   #ChoiHyunWook  #ChoiWonYoung   #SeolInAh  #LeeSoYeon  #ShinEunSoo  #SeoYoonHee 

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Started with 0 expectations and fell in love

I don’t even know where to start from. I believe the cast is what gives justice to this drama more than anything else. I fell in love with Ryeoun, although I've watched him in Adult Trainee I freaking DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM. The story is a little confusing when it comes to time traveling because it leaves some unanswerable questions, like what happens to the present until Eun Gyeol comes back? How did everything change and how did this affect the others? I have many questions, plus the ending seemed a little rushed. I would LOVE a scene where Yi Chan recognized Eun Gyeol as his past friend. Of course there would be some flaws but I think the drama is very close to being perfect. Seorina, Choi Hyun Wook and Eun Soo were soooo good, this genre gives justice to Hyun Wook's acting. The best part is the sign language and deaf people recognition, I think many people got interested in learning sign language after watching TW, including myself. I hope we see more dramas like this in the future ☺️

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VIVA LA VIDA~ Long live Life!

Let me start by saying. I adored it. I resented it. I also found myself going back to it, squinting my eyes and looking between the lines. The layers are just folded so perfectly. Twinkling Watermelon is cute, heartwarming, a bit heartbreaking, and relentless.

The story. It is the story of many people and many communities, that are shaped by way too many events. First is the story of Eun Gyeol, the body who feels pressure and burden from being the only "hearing" member of his family. He made mistakes that made his love for music hard and he always feels guilty. Guilty for not being part of his family and guilty for not wanting to be defined/weighed down by this while wrestling with his love for them. We also have the story of Eun Yu. The drama just does a great job of weaving between them while presenting to us the idea that everyone was someone before they are placed into the roles of "mom" and "dad", "son" and "daughter."
The time travel was a brilliant way of giving these two their youth and a place to be themselves as well as understand the people they had such strong feelings towards in their own time. It also helped them see who those people were and what experiences they went through. I also liked that it wasn't some guilt trip, treat your parents better but more of a rediscovery of their parents that they clearly loved and wanted to understand more. That it became a means of courage to face them in the future.
I - mmy heart. I know going into the past means things change. I also know it was on purpose, but the one thing I wanted to change, didn't change. It was heart wrenching, but I also knew it was the pivotal lesson they wanted to teach beyond all this. It is that this experience is supposed to fuel one with the courage and insight to look forward into the future rather than trap yourself into the what ifs of the past. They weren't going there to save their parents but give them the validation and courage to become a better version of themselves in the future. As much as I hated it, I loved that the accident was something that was meant to be. As it really shows that changing a pivotal life event and running away from the reality of having to convince your deaf parent of your love for music is not the solution to the problems he faces. It also means we shouldn't run from the problems we face either and tackling the problem instead. That mindset is huge for me. The idea that we should use what we have been given to its fullest and let the disadvantages act as a driving force .
There were just so many people that I cared about, that played a role in things, that I was so happy to see again as time went by.

It was a huge moment of reflection for me. What things am I running away from? What things do I wish I could change if given the change?

If I am going to be honest, I watched this because I am a huge fan of our actors Choi Won Young and Choi Hyun Wook. I also wanted to see Seol In Ah again but the cast really grew on me. They all suited their characters and there were so many scenes where the acting really swept me off my feet. It was just so cuteeee.

I honestly don't remember much of the music while watching but I enjoyed a bunch of it while studying. The opening though is a banger.

As it is a big life lesson one, I think the rewatch value is endless. I will also be replaying Cheong Ah smiling clips forever and maybe learn some ASL as well.

The pacing towards the middle can be a bit slow for the people wanting to move the story but I loved it as it really showed the lives of the people in the past (they had regrets too). It was the whole reason they went back in time after all. Give it a try :) I'm sure something will get you to stay. If you do, I hope the lessons, feelings, and experience you get from it sticks and you are able to carry it into some aspect of your life. :)

Have a nice life everyone! You are your own person and while you don't need to life for someone else and can try living through someone else, no one can live your life the same way you do. It might not garner the same results but it will definitely be fulfilling. I hope you take a moment and embrace the youth you can experience now before you have to become a "mom", "dad", "aunt" or "uncle" for someone else. VIVA LA VIDA~ Long live Life!

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Starts off slow and builds into an amazing story

I wasn't sold on the first two episodes like many people seem to be. But I stuck it out, and I'm so glad I did because this is such a beautiful story, and honestly is probably close to the top of my list of favorite kdramas.

This show made me cry a lot, and I honestly love when that happens. The cast did such a great job in each of their roles, and I believed every emotion they were trying to convey, even from the children. It usually takes me a long time to get through dramas because my attention span isn't that great, but I got through this whole series in just two weeks, which is the fastest I've ever watched anything because I just couldn't stop thinking about this show and I wanted to do nothing but watch it as soon as I was home and able to. I already want to go back and rewatch it

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Very fun and emotional drama about strong love and vulnerability

I loved watching this drama so much. First of all the story was really original, the concept is around the deaf community and the kind of hardships they face and I learned a lot while watching this drama. It's a story about an unbreakable bond between a father and a son that goes through a bumpy patch but comes out stronger than ever. It's also got the cutest romance stories. The friendships of the leads was honestly so admirable and the drama is FULL of laughter from both the characters on screen and the audience off screen. While there were also emotional scenes that made characters in and off screen cry. It was an all round, entertaining drama. The acting of the cast is just amazing and crew have put together a truly miraculous piece. The music was absolutely perfect and full of every emotion portrayed. Overall, this an incredibly entertaining drama that was full of emotion and fun while portraying the strong bond between family and the true bond between friends (and ofcourse the insane romance between lovers). 🍉✨👩🏻‍🎨🧑🏻‍🎤✨👨‍👦🧒🏻🎸🌕🎻👧🏻✨🍉

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A drama I didn't know I needed

I don't watch shows until they are completely available to watch. I've been burned too many times by sad/terrible/rushed endings. I skulked around daily under the comments for this show, reading everyone wax eloquent about how wonderful it was. That's normally the kiss of death for me. If everyone thinks it's the best thing in the world, I'm usually meh about it. Then, add to that my aversion to time travel movies (they always raise more questions than answers for me) and that this sounded exactly like Back to the Future, I wasn't holding out much hope. My hand is raised here, I admit it, I was wrong.

I won't reiterate the storyline, but I will say this didn't reach out to me as a romance so much as a family/friend-fest. I didn't even feel that the focus was so much on the school aspect of it, but the kids themselves, which I loved. This show had so much heart. I laughed a lot, I cried quite a bit, and I vacillated back and forth between "hurry up and show me what's going to happen next" and "slow down, because I really want to savor this." The story was great, but the characters themselves, and the actors portraying them, were what kept me coming back for more. I really liked the direction they took with two people going to the past, one to save a life and one to end a life.

Ryeoun as Ha Eun Gyeol. This was a teenager that was old for his years, by necessity, as he was the mouthpiece for the whole family. That's a lot of responsibility to have from a very young age. Ryeoun was excellent, and I felt his wonder at meeting his younger father and finding him completely different than he imagined. Most of the scenes that made me cry involved Eun Gyeol. He was trying so hard to make things right, time after time. I could feel his desperation, as well as his sense of being unsuccessful. This story arc spoke a lot to destiny - are certain things that happen in our lives fixed? If you change something in one direction, does the river of destiny re-route itself to make it happen anyway?

Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan had the gangly puppy/bouncy behavior going for him, moving from one thing to another quickly. If you are going, you run, if you are talking, you yell, if you don't know how to react to someone, you put them in a headlock. He was very immature, which was a perfect foil for Eun Gyeol, who had to switch places and become the father in the past. I did struggle with the length of time that he liked Sy Keong, so when he switched to Cheon Ah, it was kind of sudden and didn't necessarily flow well.

Seol In Ah as Choi Sy Kyeong/On Eun Yu. I had difficulty with this character. First, her voice is so distinctive, I kept flashing A Business Proposal when she talked. Other than that, my difficulties were more character related. Eun Yu was a totally repressed young woman, being driven by her mother's wishes. I don't feel that she would have been able to have the personality change that she did in the past. And, to me, there was something not always very nice about her, like she thought she was better than everyone else. And we didn't get to see any difficulties with her adapting to the past.

Shin Eun Soo as Yoon Cheon Ah. She was the standout for me. Eyes wide with sadness, living in silence, being betrayed by those that were supposed to take care of her, the character of Cheon Ah had a strength about her. I was so glad they didn't make her a doormat. It is really hard to act without using your voice, and Eun Soo was wonderful.

Go Doo Shim as Lee Chan's grandmother - she was terrific. She surrounded herself with students, cared for everyone and kept everyone fed. I love how she didn't baby Lee Chan, but was raising him to be a responsible adult, supporting him in every way she could.

The band mates were fun to watch, full of pen-up energy, running here and there. It was like they were all amped on caffeine, then I remember that's what it was like as a teenager. The Master was mysterious and brought levity to a lot of the scenes. I loved when he'd throw random English words in. Cheong Ah's step-mother - don't even get me started.

The soundtrack was very good and, of course, went along with the theme of the show.

BONUS - the lengthy BTS reference was a hoot!

Small nit-picky things:
I would have liked to have seen Yi Chan and Cheon Ah together for a longer period of time in the past, and watch their relationship develop.
So much bullying by so many people. And what about Yeom Byung Ho and his mother? They made a big deal about them and then they disappeared.
All the past band members, in 2023, thought Eun Gyeol "looked familiar". Did everyone get amnesia or something?
It was very vague as to whether his father remember him from the past as well.

Bottom line? Watch it!

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Quite a refreshing plot

I did not expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did. The title sounded comedic, while the entire cast looked very young, but it was not really a comedy.

It was a drama on love – family love, relationships between family members and just a small portion on the usual love between man and woman. It was a rather refreshing plot to me. Simply put, it was mainly about a boy who travelled back in time to when his parents were at his age. He was able to see for himself the things that happened to them and what led them to become the persons they were. Seizing the opportunities to control his family's future, he tried to prevent all the bad happenings and hoped to eventually change his parents' destinies.

As in all Korean dramas, the pace was on the fast side. Things happened quickly, so there was never a boring moment. The first half was a little slow, but come the second half, you will want to keep watching till the end.

There were loopholes here and there, but I was still able to overlook them for the story and the acting. *Like in most Korean dramas, the leads were always able to run to one another’s houses in minutes, as though they were all living on the same street lol, not a major loophole, but still not very realistic after a while.

I give kudos to the main cast for their acting. The four main leads were young, in their twenties, in fact two of them were only 21 years old. However, their acting was convincing enough. I would not say impressive but it was sufficient for the roles in this drama.

The OSTs were melodious. The fast ones were catchy and full of life while the slow sad ones were touching and good enough to bring tears to my eyes.

All in all, it was one of those dramas I would not re-watch, not because it was bad but because I already know the story, the meaning of their actions and the ending, so I do not see the point of re-watching, but I think it was one of those dramas that was worth at least watching once.

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Dont think too much and you'll be fine!!

Twinkling watermelon was a refreshing watch for me. The plot is pretty interesting too. It has a happy ending for those of you wondering.

Now, do not compare this drama to the other time travel dramas that you might have watched before. Its a little different in a way. And this change is fresh. Plus, you'll enjoy the cast. Their acting is top notch. You will laugh, feel sad and yell even at the little-est moments they have with eachother.

The romance is good. The bromance(idk what else to say) is better. The cutest thing ever. Lol.

A little teeny tiny bit of spoiler------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The ending is a little rushed. I mean it's not like super bad. But the pacing isn't super awesome either. If only they had ended it with possibly an extra 10 minutes, things could have wrapped up clearer.
NEVERTHELESS. ITS GOOD. GO WATCH IT. DONT THINK OF ANYTHING. DONT HESITATE. WATCH.





Love, Skye~

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Kindred To A Time Called Us!

January 2024
07th/8th

I liked ALMOST everything about this drama except:

a: The casting of one of the main female leads despite the fact she has always been amazing in other drama series. Had always hoped to see her in a main role - just not as a high school student.

b: The music on the most part is okay - maybe just a few songs were better than okay. Really loved the bass and guitar battle! I was really hoping for music that stays with you for a long time after - nope!

c: Didn't appreciate Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" song referred to as a "chick magnet" - like it is a "romantic love song" or something.

It could be that the translation was incorrect and hoping that is the case.

It isn't a love song in the sense that someone's heart is broken by someone else (romance) - it is a song about the loss of someone deeply loved (Clapton's son) and them being in heaven.

d: The son in 1995 (from 2023) should have spent more time with his mother rather than the girl from 2023 - there were times she really could have done with his intervention and he just wasn't there.

Even his "dad" more so than the 2023 teen female, but I do get that they were both there for a reason.

What I did LIKE:

a: Seeing what would happen and develop between the "mother and father " in 1995 more so than the 2023 teens.

b: The bromance and friendships.

c: The story with it being similar to "A Time Called Us" with the time travel and trying to change the past to save someone in the future or future for the better only "Twinkling Watermelon" wasn't as dark.

Highly recommended! A+

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You will binge watch it in a day #Guaranteed

It's one of those shows you cannot put down and it satisfies you completely by the end too.

I would definitely be putting this in my top 5 list among my fav including cloy,hometown cha cha cha, 18 again etc.
Now the show is such a great and i mean by far the best genre blend without a single loophole or inconsistency in story.
Everything just finds balance from mystery to comedy , everything is consistent and the direction is next level.
Not your typical rom com kdrama but something uniquely intresting.

The show has not completely ignored logic if you are concerned since it involves time travel but the places where logic is near 0 or very low the show carries that part so beautifully (you just don't care) and anyone would be 100% stupid if they don't like this show for this reason. It is not meant for that, it is not a serious thriller based mystery with sci fi logic.

Ignore the music rating if your into that, i personally am not a huge music guy and it mostly runs on the bg of my brain but they werent bad i would say that.

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Viva La Vida!

Likes
1. One of the most satisfying ending i've watched in recent years. I was crying and smiling in the last two episodes.
2. The strongest part of the drama is the close relationship between the father Yi Chan and son Eun Gyeol in whatever timeline they were in. Pre time slip, during time slip and post time slip.
3. High school love story of Han Yi Chan and Yoon Chung Ah was so cute.
4. The Watermelon Sugar band and the band mates. Plus the cameos as adult versions. And their songs.
5. Eun Gyeol and Chung Ah didnt have a lot of scenes because Eu Gyeol was always with Yichan or Eunyu but he did best thing to his mom, which is to get rid of the evil stepmom and let her be free to live her life.

Dislikes
1. I didnt like Seol Inah's character. I dont know if it was the actress or the character itself. But she kinda grew on me in the end. Im curious to find out what happened when she wentback to the present. Is her family still together? Did Segyeong become happier?
2. I think we needed an extended 15-20 mins to see what other changes happened to the present or maybe i just couldnt believe it was all over.

Rating: 9/10

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